Reenforcement for cellular packing structures



Dec. 19, 1922.

- E. K. LUNDY,JR. REENFORCEMENT FOR' CELLULAR PACKING STRUCTURES. I

FILED APR. '9. 1921. 3 SHEETS-SHEET- I Dec. 19, 1922. 7 1,439,179

E. K. LUNDY.JR. REENFORCEMENT FOR CELLULAR PACKING STRUCTURES.

FILED APR- 9. 1921. 3 suzs'rs-sn'as'r Z IT/Ja Cir Cit

Patented Dee. l9, i922,

Lewd? PATENT i EDVI'IN' K. LUNDY, JR., OFCHICAGQ, ILLINUIS.

REENFOECEMENT FOR CELLULAR PACKING STRUCTURES.

Application fiIed April 9, 1921. Serial No. 459,853.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN K. LUNDY, J12, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State Sci Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reenforcements for Cellular Packing Structures, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to devices for stiffening cellular packing structures, such as are used for packing and shipping eggs, or like articles, in order toprotect the individual articles, which are sometimes highly fragile, from being broken through contact with each other.

Such cellular structures are now generally formed from strips of straw-board, or other suitable materials, which are slotted usually through a portion of their width at regular spaced intervals and assembled in parallel and intersecting rows. These structures must depend for their rigidity upon the stiffness of the straw-board, or other material of which the walls are fabricated, which, while not very liable to longitudinal compression is extremely liable to lateral flexing which serves to shorten the transverse dimension of a row of cells thereby permitting the eggs or other articles contained in the cells to shift and cumulate their movement and weight in the direction of any jar, which develops very much more compression than is desired, and which the contents is capable of withstanding, upon certain of the articles and sometimes upon entire rows of articles, thereby entailing considerable breakage and resulting loss.

My present invention has for its object the stifi'ening and bracing of the interior walls of a row of cells whereby the walls are reinforced against flexing, and thearticles are prevented from accumulating their movement and weight against each other. Such cell-sections as have heretofore been referred to are usually separated by flats interposed between different layer of cells My invention, broadly speaking, contem plates the provision of a binder one portion whereof is to be inserted in one or more individual cells and the other portion whereof either interlocks with the flat or extends to and is braced against the walls of the case or container in which the cells and flats are disposed. As will be obvious, this goneric idea is capable of divers applications,

between.

Figure 2 is a blank or development of the interlocking device.

Figure 3 is a sectionon line 3-3, Figure 1, show ng, however, a plurality of superposed cells andfiats and the manner in which the egg or other contents of a cell assists in the interlocking feature.

Figure l is a plan of a structure similar to that shown in Figure 1, except that the ends of the interlocking devices are mitered so that they may be arranged on all four sides of a cell-section.

Figure 5 is a blank or development of the interlocking device illustrated in Figure 4:.

Figure 6 is a section on line 66, Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a blank or development of a form of interlockingstructure adapted for engagement wlth one'oi't' the outer walls of .a cell section.

Figure 8 is a fragmental section illustrating the assembly of the form shown in Figure 7 fiat.

with a series of cell-sections and a Figure 9 illustrates a form in which the interlocking device engages with a single but interior cell and the edge ofthe fiat Figure 10 u re 9.

and the manner of usin a number of such forms in a s ngle cell-section.

is a section on line 10l0,'Figa Figure ll shows a form in which the interlojcking means comprises two centrally intersecting members provided with tangs for, engagement with each cellover which they respectively pass and a top element bracing ure 11.

against the sidesof the case or container.

Flgure' 12 is a section on line 12 one otthe bracing ure l1.

All ofthe forms of the b forcing deviceshown in the several views elements shown in F igracing or rein- .have one or more tongues or tangs 15 adapted, as the case maybe, to extend clownwardly into one or more cells of a cell-section and to be held in'its downwardly iii-- serted positionby the e or other contents 16, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. Thetongue or tongues extend lat-.

erally from a body member .17, which ex tends to theedge of the case or container and is then folded back upon itself to provide a lip 18 against which the edge of a iat 19 engages. It is obvious that one of the forms of reinforcing structure, shown in Figures 1 to 8, inclusive, may be provided in opposite sidesof eachcell-section. The interlocking structure, shown in Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, while engaging with a pair of opposite edges. oft-he flat, also is proportioned so that the ends of the portions 17 will extend between opposite walls of the case or. container and will, therefore, provide considerable IEEGIlfOICGDlGDt transversely of, as well as between. the edges coacting with the fiat. r

Theconstruction illustrated in Figures 4- to 6, inclusive, of the drawings, having mitered ends is capable of engagement with all four edges of flat 19,-and, as the flat is prevented from bending downwardly by reason of the cell wall upon which it rests and is prevented from bowing upwardly both by the cell-walls and the weight of the articles resting uponit, a considerable degree of r eenforcementis secured by this structure.

The structure illustrated in Figures 7 and I 8, while designed for assembly with the outside walls of a cell-section, maybe proportioned so asto hold them under tension and thereby prevent their flexing and the breakage incident thereto. This structure is characterized by a very narrow body member 21,

the function and operation of the elements of this form being the same as that shown in Figures lto 3.

. The structure illustrated in Figures 9 and 10 involves only a single uniform strip of suitable reenforcement material 22 the tongue or tang 15 whereofv is formed by bending laterally one end and lip 18 where- Y of is formed by folding the other end in the opposite direction to the bend of the tongue or tang 15. This structure has such advantages as arise fromits extreme simplicity and may be easily formed to reinforce the centermost of the individual cells of a section. This form of structureshould be used with four to each cell-section, as illustrated in Figure 9.

The structureillustrated in Figures 11 t0 13, inclusive, has tangs 15. provided with what may be termed the lateral side of body member 17, the bodymember being proportioned and designed to fit or wedge between the opposite walls of a case or container. In this form a slot 28 is arranged at the top of one ofthe central tongues .15 to accommodate the body portion of a similarly shaped. transversely disposed reinforcing piece. The ends of the body piece may be provided with lips 18, if desired, to en gagewith the flat, as in the other forms.

The structures heretofore described are placed in a suitable case or containerfragmentally illustrated in several of the views and designated by the numeral 1 1 which consists of the six ordinary walls of rectangular box structure. 1

What I claim as new is '1. As an article of manufacture, a reinforcing device for cellular structures comprisinga body element having a downwardly projecting tongue that enters a cell adjacent a wall thereof and a lip engaged by the edge of a flat disposed uponthe top of a cell-section. p

2. In combination with cell-sections consisting of intersecting-walls and a flat disposed upon the top of said walls,of a reinforcing device comprising a body element having a downwardly projecting tongue that enters a cell flat against wall thereof and .a lip engaged by the edge of said flat. 3. In combination with a case, and tiers of cell-sections superposed therein, said'cellsections consisting of a plurality of walls arranged inparallel series the walls of said series intersecting, of separate reinforcing devices extending from opposite walls of said case and inserted flat against the walls of said cell-sections.

, 4,. In a cellular case, a cell-section CO111- thereof,'said reinforcing devicesbeing extended to engage the walls of said case.

6. Asan article of manufacture a reinforcing device for cellular packing elements comprising a sheet having lateral extensions' adapted to inter-fitrespectively with the walls of the cells andthe partitioning element between adjacent cell-sections.

T. In combination with cellular packing elements comprising intersect ng walls forming cellsfand a partition above said cellular section, a reinforcing device comprising a sheet having foldedportions adapted; respectively to extend into the cells of said section flat against the walls thereof and to receive the edge of the adjacent partition.

8.111 combination with cellular packing elements comprising intersecting walls forming cellular sections and partitions between adjacent cellular sections, and reinforcing devices comprising sheets having folded portions at 'eachedge, one folded portion of each sheet adapted 'to extend into the cells of its respective section flat against the walls thereof and the other folded portion of said sheet adapted to receive the edge of an adjacent partition.

9. In combination with cellular packing elements comprising intersecting walls forming cells and a partition above said cellular section, reinforcing devices comprising elements engaging the walls of the cell-sea tion and extended transversely of each side thereof to engage the respective edges of the partition whereby the partition, which is held against distortion by the cellular elements and their contents, prevents the flexing of the intersecting walls of said cellular section.

10. As an article of manufacture a reinforcing device for cellular packing cases comprlsing a sheet having lateral extensions upon one edge adapted to coact with the walls of the cells in said case and the opposite edge of said sheet co-acting with the walls of the case.

11. The combination with a cellular filler including intersecting walls and a partitioning fiat, of a reinforcing device therefor comprising a body element constructed to interengage with the partitioning fiat and having means inserted between a cell wall and the article contained in the cell.

12. Areinforcing device for cellular structures comprising a body element constructed to interengage with a partitioning flat disposed upon the cellular structure and having means inserted between a cell wall and the article contained in the cell.

1.3. A reinforcing device for cellular structures comprising an elongated strip of suit able material having a lip along one longitudinal edge for engagement with a partitioning flatand a tongue extended from the opposite longitudinal edge for insertion be tween a cell wall and the article contained in the cell.

14. A reinforcing device for cellular structures comprising an elongated strip of suitable material one longitudinal portion whereof interengages the adjacent portion of a partitioning flat and the opposite longitudinal portion of said strip is fitted between a cell wall and the article contained in the cell.

15. As an article of manufacture a reinforcing device for cellular structures comprising a sheet of suitable material one edge whereof is provided with a folded back lip and the opposite edge is provided with a plurality of laterally projecting tongues.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 6th day of April, 1921.

EDWIN K. LUNDY, JR.

Witnesses:

FRANK M. HARKER, BERNHARDT FRANK. 

